If there is a genuine SUV in the market in the Rs 15 lakh price bracket, it is the Tata Safari Storme that offers every bit of an SUV feel, says Faisal Khan, MotorBeam.com.
The Tata Safari is the sole SUV in the country that has had a loyal fan following since its launch in 1998.
It is one of the first cars to be fully designed, developed and manufactured in India.
In its hey days, people loved the butch and commanding looks of the Safari, it had a ‘king of the road’ feel while driving and Tata Motors made one of the best ads back then.
However, nowadays some say that it can’t hold a candle against the new age urban SUVs. But! We think nothing can be more ‘SUV’ in this segment than the Tata Safari Storme and here is why we think so after living with the beast for a while.
The Safari has retained its silhouette even after almost two decades of its launch, which is both a good and a bad thing.
Good because it has those typical SUV proportions that exhibit its sheer size, which is quite intimidating for fellow road users.
Bad because it looks quite elderly amongst the young lot of SUVs but enthusiasts still admire the old school charm of the Safari despite the missing spare wheel on the tailgate now.
When you climb inside the cabin of the Safari Storme you instantly experience the SUV feel sitting high up and having a commanding view all around.
You would feel confident while driving it in congested traffic because the bonnet is clearly visible and you have a good idea about its proportions.
The new steering feels great to hold and has controls for the audio system and Bluetooth telephony.
The Harman system churns out good quality music which is much better than the outgoing model.
The display screen is small though and it doesn’t offer a rear parking camera but instead you get proximity parking sensors with LCD which is accurate enough to park this huge SUV safely.
Apart from the rear parking camera and touchscreen infotainment you really won’t feel the need of any more features.
It has got power foldable and heated ORVMs, lumbar support, front arm rests, all windows one touch down, projector lights, approach lights, flip key and more.
The space on offer is outstanding in the front and second row of seats but the jump seats at the back is meant for kids only.
Special mention to the air conditioning, which is available for all the rows, it chills the cabin in no time and sometimes you need to shut it off, it is so powerful.
The 2.2-litre Varicor diesel engine is a gem. Our long term car gets the lower tuned engine that churns out 150 PS of power with 320 Nm of torque and if that is not enough, you now have an option of the Varicor400 that produces 156 PS and a whopping 400 Nm of torque.
Still, our test car has more than enough thrust to get you going effortlessly.
There is a wee bit of lag just upto 1800 RPM that you won’t feel at slow speeds because of the clever gearing ratio.
First three gears are short while fourth and fifth are meant to stretch the legs of the Storme on the highways.
The new clutch is extremely light, so light that it can give some hatchbacks a run for their money. This makes the massive SUV easy to potter around city traffic.
The engine offers good grunt in the mid-range and great drivability on the highways.
However, the Safari feels loud above 120 km/hr because it needs an extra sixth gear to calm down the engine at high speeds, which is now addressed in the Varicor400 version.
The Safari has massive body roll if you push it around corners but it has reduced to some extent with the updated model.
The ride is extremely good on all kinds of terrains keeping the passengers in full comfort over the roughest roads you could find.
Stability at high speeds is excellent too and gives you relatively less fatigue over long trips.
Over a few updates we feel the Safari has improved slowly but steadily.
The overall quality levels feel much better and there are very few niggles we've experienced compared to the last time we got our hands on the car.
You just need to drive it to feel the emotional connect the Safari offers then only you could understand the loyal fan base it has.
It provides a raw and mechanical feel that a typical SUV should provide and it can definitely make its rivals feel ashamed of having an SUV label on their name.
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